This 22 year old website is going through a complete overhaul to bring it up to current standards for use with mobile devices. All of the information will be preserved. Please be patience as I am only one busy person and this will take some time.

Soybeans (yield varies very much with quality. New season's beans are best)

Solidifier (Nigari). I use magnesium sulfate from the druggist (Epsom salts). You can use vinegar, lime juice or lemon juice, but it gives poor yields (in my view) and affects the taste. The real keenies make their own nigari from seawater (where the sea is certified clean!) by letting it evaporate and collecting the concentrated brine that is left. Clean seawater can be used as is. One can also use calcium sulfate.

Prepare in advance: place pressing pot in sink and set colander into pot. Moisten pressing sack lightly and line colander with sack. Line settling container with moistened cheesecloth. Place container on rim of large bowl placed in sink.

Heat 7 1/2 cups water over high heat in cooking pot. While water is heating, divide beans into two equal portions. Combine 1 portion with 2 cups water in the blender. Puree until very smooth. Add puree to water heating (or boiling by now) in pot. Puree the remaining soybeans with 2 cups and add to pot. (If using a meat grinder, grind beans without adding water and add 4 cups more water to the cooking pot). Rinse out blender and add rinsings to cooking pot.

Continue heating on high heat. Stir frequently (to prevent goop sticking to bottom of pot). When foam suddenly rises in pot, turn off the heat (fast!) and pour contents of cooking pot into pressing sack. Clean out goop in pot and add to pressing sack. Rinse out pot and replace on stove.

Twist hot pressing sack closed. Press out as much soymilk as possible. Shake out the pressed bean mash and empty into bowl. Add 3 cups water and stir well. Repress to get the last drop of soymilk out. The mash is called okara. Empty it into 2 qt saucepan and set aside.

I use 2 teaspoons Epsom salts dissolved in 1 cup water as solidifier for the above quantities.

Stir soymilk to and fro vigorously. While stirring, add 1/3 of solidifier solution. Stir 5 or 6 times more. Include sides and bottom of pot in your stirring pattern. Bring stirrer upright in center of pan and hold there while all turbulence ceases. Lift out stirrer. Sprinkle 1/2 solidifier solution over surface of soymilk. Cover pot. Wait 3 minutes. Uncover pot. Sprinkle rest of solution over surface of soymilk.

Very slowly stir the upper 1 1/2 inch layer of curdling soymilk for 15 - 20 seconds. Cover pot and wait 6 minutes. Uncover and stir surface layer once again for 20 - 30 seconds or until all milky liquid curdles. (If any milky liquid remains, as contrasted to the white clouds of curd, wait a minute, then stir again. If it still won't come down, add about 1/4 of original amount of solidifier, dissolved in 1/3 cup water and pour directly on uncurdled portions. Stir gently until curdled.)

Place cooking pot next to settling container in sink. Gently press fine mesh container into cooking pot and allow several cups of whey to collect in it. Ladle all of this whey into settling container to re-moisten lining cloth. Set strainer aside.

Ladle curds gently, one layer at a time, into settling container. Fold edges of cloth neatly over curds. Place lid on top of cloth. Press under about 1 - 1 1/3 pounds for 10 - 15 minutes, or until whey no longer drips from settling container.

Fill a large basin or pressing pot or sink with cold water. Remove weight and lid from tofu in container. Place container holding tofu upside down in cold water. Remove container and gently unwrap tofu block. Cut block crosswise into two halves. Allow to rest under water for about 5 minutes. Slip a plate under each block in turn to remove from water. Allow to drain briefly.

The whey is one of the most beautiful bath additives I know. Allows a wonderful polish to be given to the best glasses, too. Great shampoo. The Okara can be used to make cookies (great with coconut). You can also put a little in a bag and use it as a wooden furniture polish (!). Just rub the cloth bag over the furniture. The natural oils get squeezed out of the okara, and bring up the wood real nice.

You can slice this tofu with a thin (Japanese-style) chopstick. I eat it straightaway with English mustard (hot!), wasabi (hotter! = Japanese horseradish), a soysauce and sherry dip, or any other dip I fancy.

There are many other ways to make and enjoy tofu. And many ways to process it after it has been made. If it's still in print, I can do not better than recommend a book: The Book of Tofu -- Food for Mankind, by William Shurtleff & Akiko Aoyagi, Autumn Press, 1975.

I want to thank Ian and Ineke Priestnall of Assendelft, Netherlands for this recipe.

All graphics, photos and text on these pages were created by, and are the sole property of, Molly Nolte.

Individuals are granted the right to download a single copy of this page for archival purposes on electronic media and/or conversion into a single printed copy for personal use.

All other use or reproduction of this material, such as in publications or use on other web sites is strictly prohibited. It may not otherwise be reprinted or recopied, in whole or in part, in any form or medium, without expressed written permission.

This site may be used as a reference (but not copied and/or plagiarized) if proper credit is provided and a web link is given.

Disclaimer

The information on this web site is provided as an examples of how we do things here at Fias Co Farm. It is supplied for general reference and educational purposes only. This information does not represent the management practices or thinking of other goat breeders and/or the veterinary community. We are not veterinarians or doctors, and the information on this site is not intended to replace professional veterinary and/or medical advice. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat any health problems or illnesses without consulting your vet and/or doctor. We present the information and products on this site without guarantees, and we disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this information and/or products. The extra-label use of any medicine in a food producing animal is illegal without a prescription from a veterinarian.

The statements presented on this site regarding the use of herbs, herbal supplements and formulas have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The use of herbs for the prevention or cure of disease has not been approved by the FDA or USDA. We therefore make no claims to this effect. We do not claim to diagnose or cure any disease. The products referred to and/or offered on this web site are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. The information provided here is for educational purposes only. This does not constitute medical or professional advice. The information provided about herbs and the products on this site is not intended to promote any direct or implied health claims. Any person making the decision to act upon this information is responsible for investigating and understanding the effects of their own actions.